Satellite News articles from December 2004

Satellite News archives from December 2004

At Press Time: Intelsat Re-establishs Contact WIth IA-7 Satellite.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... As Satellite News was going to print on Dec. 3, Intelsat Ltd. announced that as a result of pursuing a recovery mission, the company has gained contact and control of the Intelsat Amerias-7 (IA-7) satellite. The satellite experienced a...

Intelsat Americas-7 Satellite Fails.
December 6, 2004... On Nov. 28, Intelsat Ltd. said its Intelsat Americas-7 (IA-7) satellite, a Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) 1300 satellite, experienced a sudden and unexpected electrical distribution anomaly that caused the temporary loss of the spacecraft at...

EuroNews Goes Global.
December 6, 2004... EuroNews Chairman and CEO Philippe Cayla believes there are still plenty of opportunities for the pan-European news channel to gain presence on directto-home (DTH) platforms across the world. Its next deal is likely to be with Dish TV in India....

Dear Satellite Professional:.(Editorial)
December 6, 2004... Celebrating its 28th year of publication, Satellite News is committed to providing the industry with hard- hitting content that keeps industry executives updated on the business changes and advancements in the global satellite marketplace. ...

Spotlight: Warning Operators Of Catastrophic Failure.
December 6, 2004... Until the cause of the Intelsat Americas-7 (IA-7) failure is determined, questions on when Intelsat should have figured out there was a problem will remain. But even in a catastrophic situation, there is technology that could provide some...

Europe DTH Subscriber Updates.
December 6, 2004... In Europe, DTH platforms continue to perform strongly in the battle against cable television. It is also a pivotal time for many as they look to broaden their service offerings. Here, Satellite News looks at the latest subscriber statistics and...

Next Generation Market Emerging For MSS, But Market To Maintain Its Niche Status.
December 6, 2004... The Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) market may be best remembered more for its spectacular failures than any successes, but memories of those failures have not prevented the MSS market from evolving and remaining a viable market going forward,...

Companies Seize The Moment In Wake of IA-7 Failure.(Skycasters LLC)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... The failure of the Intelsat Americas-7 satellite has a few companies stepping up to help reconnect customers of Starband Communications Inc. left stranded without Internet service. Once such company is Skycasters LLC, which announced the...

Sex Offender Tracking Gaining International Attention.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... While the notion of using GPS technology to track convicted and paroled sex offenders is nothing new here in the United States, it is gaining traction internationally as well. According to a Dec. 3 article in the New Zealand Herald, the New...

Students Putting Finishing Touches On Satellite.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... According to a Dec. 2 post on the European Space Agency Web site, a satellite designed and built by about 100 students in less than one year is nearing completion and is entering final tests in preparation for its May 2005 launch. The...

Launch Indemnification Extended Another Five Years.
December 6, 2004... Last month, Congress passed HR 5245 which extended the U.S. government indemnification for certain losses over and above "maximum probable loss" up to the limit of $1.5 billion (in 1988 dollars) in the event of a catastrophic launch failure...

At Press Time: Intelsat Delays Launch Of Intelsat Americas-8.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... As Satellite News was heading to print Dec. 10, Intelsat announced that it has delayed the launch of its Intelsat Americas-8 (IA-8). The launch by Sea Launch LLC was originally scheduled for Dec. 17. In a prepared statement, Intelsat CEO...

SkyTerra Acquires 50 Percent Stake In Hughes Network Systems.(SkyTerra Communications Inc)
December 13, 2004... The DirecTV Group [DTV] last week announced it has sold a 50 percent equity stake in a new entity that will contain the assets of Hughes Network Systems (HNS) to SkyTerra Communications Inc. [SKYT], an affiliate of the private equity firm...

Swe-Dish Gains Key U.S. Defense Deal.
December 13, 2004... Swe-Dish Satellite Systems believes its latest contract with the U.S. Defense Department for mobile satellite communications equipment will act as a strong reference to gain other deals in the military satellite sector. Lars Jehrlander, CEO of...

Spotlight: WCC Gives Free Satellite Phones To Military Personnel.(World Communication Center Inc.)
December 13, 2004... In an effort to give a little something back to the military community while getting some use out of old inventory, World Communication Center began a program under which the company will be distributing free of charge firstgeneration Iridium...

Sky Ready To Extend Interactive Competitive Advantage.
December 13, 2004... Interactive television is about to go through a key period in the United Kingdom, with most of the innovation likely to take place on BSkyB's satellite platform. In its most recent results, BSkyB gained GBP81 million ($157 million) in...

AIA Forecasts Growth In Space Industry Sales.(Aerospace Industries Association)(Industry Overview)
December 13, 2004... The space industry sales are poised to follow their growth trend that began in 2002, according to the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). John Douglass said during the association's annual year-end review and forecast luncheon on Dec....

Connexion by Boeing Adds New Routes, Announces Trial With Vodafone.
December 13, 2004... Fledgling provider of in-flight high-speed data services Connexion by Boeing said last week it increased its air routes to 10 from 6 since the service was launched earlier this year. Likewise, company officials offered some clues as to how it...

DirecTV Pirate Gets 7 Years.(Legal)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... DirecTV Inc. said that Martin Mullen, also known as Martin Stewart, was sentenced earlier this week by the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida to seven years in prison and ordered to pay DirecTV and a subsidiary of NDS Ltd.,...

Texas A&M Plans Student-Built Satellites.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Helen Reed, the new head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M University, is planning to have university students build and launch a satellite. According to university newspaper The Battalion's Dec. 10 online edition, the...

QuickBird Imagery Used For Ecosystem Mapping.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... DigitalGlobe said Dec. 8 that the Nature Conservatory is using DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite imagery to assess biological diversity and conservation progress in several regions throughout the world. According to DigitalGlobe, the...

SES Global Delists From Frankfurt Stock Exchange.(Stock Trading)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... SES Global Dec. 7 completed its final day of trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company said it made the decision to delist following the listing of Fiduciary Depositary Receipts (FDRs) on the Euronext Paris exchange in May. In...

Eutelsat Signs Key Chinese Deal.(Chinasatcom)
December 13, 2004... Eutelsat's broadband affiliate, Skylogic, has signed a deal with Chinese telco, Chinasatcom, to improve communications between China and Italy. The deal will see Chinasatcom and Skylogic create a two-way broadband network to connect businesses,...

G2 Satellite Solutions, MCI Ink Two-Year Deal.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... G2 Satellite Solutions, an independent wholly owned subsidiary of Panamsat Corp., said that MCI has renewed a multi-million dollar, two-year deal for satellite services. Under the terms of the deal, G2 will provide two Ku-band transponders on...

Japan Schedules Satellite Launch For February 2005.(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency )(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Satellite News has learned that Japan's government has approved plans to launch a satellite early next year. According to an Associated Press report, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch a weather satellite in February....

Arianespace Reschedules Helios 2A Launch For Dec. 18.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Arianespace said that the launch of the Helios 2A satellite has been rescheduled for Dec. 18. The launch was originally scheduled to take place Dec. 10, but it was postponed after the company made the decision to replace a subassembly on the...

Raytheon-Led Team To Seek TSAT Contract.(Transformational Satellite Communications System)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Raytheon Co. has announced that it will lead a team in pursuit of the $2 billion Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) Military Operations System, a program that will provide the warfighter with a secure, interoperable,...

Tachyon, Xplornet Launch Satellite Broadband Service In North America.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Tachyon Networks Inc. and Xplornet today said they have formed a strategic partnership to offer broadband satellite services to government, enterprises and small- and medium-sized businesses throughout North America. Xplornet, formerly...

Music Choice Selects Panamsat for Delivery Services.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Multi-platform music network Music Choice announced the launch of its signals on Panamsat's Galaxy-5 satellite. The Panamsat bird will carry the signal for the next 15 years. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. [Copyright 2004...

WildBlue Projects Nationwide Availability For Mid-2005.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... In a letter addressed "To All Who Are Interested in WildBlue," WildBlue Communications' CEO Tom Moore said his company is currently undergoing initial testing of its broadband satellite Internet service over the Anik F2 satellite and expects to...

Canadian North Airlines Taps Iridium For Flight Data Apps.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Canadian North Airlines will use Iridium Satellite LLC's global satellite network for flight data applications, the Mobile Satellite Services provider said. Canadian North will be installing the Iridium-based AFIRS data collection and...

DirecTV Offers Italian News Channel.(SKY TG24)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... DirecTV Inc. Dec. 6 said that, starting on the DEC. 7, the direct-to-home satellite television service provider would offer SKY TG24, an Italian news channel. The channel would be available to residential and commercial DirecTV subscribers on...

XM Winner In Toyota Deals.
December 13, 2004... One of the keys to winning market share in what is becoming a very heated industry sector will be which company can get its receivers in the hands, or in this particular case, the automobiles of potential subscribers. The latest deals to...

At Press Time: AMC-16 Launch Successful.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... As Satellite News was going to print on Dec. 17, International Launch Services said that it had successfully launched the AMC-16 satellite into orbit for SES Americom. The satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in...

Private Equity Group Sets Sights On Satmex.
December 20, 2004... In what has the potential to be the start of a new trend, a private equity firm is in negotiations to acquire the financially troubled Mexican satellite operator Satmex. Private equity firms (PE) have been making headlines recently with their...

Nilesat Gearing Up To Expand Its Broadcasting, VSAT Market Presence.
December 20, 2004... Nilesat, the Middle East-based satellite operator is likely to order a new satellite in the first half of 2005. Salah Hamza, head of engineering, Nilesat, told Satellite News in an exclusive interview about the operator's capital expenditure...

Eutelsat Hopes To Play Role In Chinese Television Market.
December 20, 2004... Eutelsat Multimedia Director Arduino Patachinni, who also serves as chairman of the board of directors at Skylogic, believes the operator's recent deal with ChinaSatcom could lead to more opportunities for the company in China. The...

Spotlight: Satellite Imagery Helping To Conserve Planet.
December 20, 2004... The Nature Conservancy is using satellite imagery to assess biological diversity and conservation progress in several regions throughout the United States and around the world. "The Nature Conservancy works with many different types of...

FCC Issues Licensing Rules For ESVs.
December 20, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Dec. 15 unanimously adopted rules for satellite earth stations on vessels (ESVs) in the C- and Ku-bands, rules which the commission said will provide regulatory certainty to ESV licensees while...

Army Official Calls For More Investment In The "Near Space" Arena.
December 20, 2004... Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper said Dec. 14 he plans to "solidify" plans next week with his four-star commander of Space Command for the use of an up-until-now neglected area of operations called "near space." While a few...

Canal+ Sweeps Board In Soccer Rights.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... The battle between the two satellite pay-TV platforms in France, TPS and CanalSatellite has taken an interesting twist with the news that Canal+ has won the exclusive rights to screen the French Soccer League (League 1) between 2005 and 2007....

Bush Authorizes GPS Policy.(Global Positioning System)
December 20, 2004... U.S. President George W. Bush on Dec. 8 authorized a new national policy that establishes guidance and implementation actions for space-based positioning, navigation and timing programs, augmentations and activities for U.S. national and...

Satellite Radio Spared FCC Indecency Scrutiny.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... The Associated Press reported Dec. 16 the Federal Communications Commission has rejected a request to begin imposing indecency standards on satellite radio broadcasts. Saul Levine, an owner of three radio stations in California, submitted a...

Satelinx Nabs $525,000 Purchase Order, Forms Joint Venture.(Satelinx International Inc.)(Piliouri Group )(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Satellite vehicle tracking services providers Satelinx International Inc. Dec. 16 said it has received an initial purchase order for 1,300 units of an undisclosed product worth $525,000. The initial purchase order comes to Satelinx as the...

OHB-System Taps EaglePicher Battery For German Recon Satellite System.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... The Defense and Space Power Division of EaglePicher Technolo-gies LLC said OHB-System AG will use its nickel-hydrogen single pressure vessel battery to power the SAR-Lupe, the future German satellite constellation that will be used for radar...

Alcatel Delivers Telescope To CNES.(Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales)(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Alcatel Space has completed work on a telescope, which will be part of a scientific mission throughout the next couple of years. It has delivered the Corotel telescope to the National Institute for Sciences of the Universe on behalf of French...

Orbcomm, VeriChip Ink Application Development Deal.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Orbcomm Dec. 15 said it inked an agreement with VeriChip Corp. to provide satellite and telecommunications services for applications, to be developed, with an implantable radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip. Under the terms of the...

Gilat Granted License For Turbo Code Patents.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Specta Licensing Group Dec. 15 said that France Telecom has granted Gilat Satellite Networks a worldwide license allowing Gilat to use France Telecom's patented Turbo Code products in Gilat's SkyEdge DVB-RCS next generation VSAT product line....

Sirius Taps Navteq For Real-Time Traffic Service.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Navteq Dec. 14 announced that it has been selected by Sirius Satellite Radio to provide it with real-time traffic information. The new service offered by Sirius will provide consumers with regularly updated traffic information, including...

HyperSpace Communications Inks Reseller Deal With iDirect.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... HyperSpace Communications Inc. Dec. 14 said it has signed a reseller agreement with iDirect Technologies Inc. Under the terms of the deal, iDirect will deploy HyperSpace's HyperWeb 7.0 in the satellite broadband access market. HyperWeb 7.0...

SK Telecom Gets Mobile Satellite Television License.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Yonhap News reported Dec. 14 that South Korea has granted a license to provide mobile satellite television services to TU Media, a venture company partially owned by mobile phone operator SK Telecom Co. The company, according to the report, is...

SUIRG Developing Protocol To Identify Interference Sources.
December 20, 2004... In an effort to reduce the amount of interference satellites face, the Satellite Users Interference Re-duction Group (SIURG) is working on a protocol to help identify the owners of interfering equipment. Interference rarely gets headlines...

Your Next Issue: January 3.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... In observance of the holiday season, Satellite News will not publish on December 27. The next issue will be dated January 3, 2005. The staff at Satellite News would like to say "Happy Holidays" to our readers and we wish you a happy and healthy...